{"id":5541,"date":"2026-07-28T06:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T06:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5541"},"modified":"2026-07-28T06:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T06:37:00","slug":"3-gunned-down-at-packed-seattle-food-festival-idd-as-tot-2-remains-hospitalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5541","title":{"rendered":"3 gunned down at packed Seattle food festival ID’d \u2014 as tot, 2, remains hospitalized"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A father of three and a mother waiting in line for cotton candy were identified as two of the three people killed in a shooting at a popular Seattle food festival on Sunday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani plans 30% discounts at city-owned groceries \u2014 but it comes with basket of questions<\/a><\/p>\n

Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19; Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; and Ashley Whitehead, 56, were gunned down in a hail of bullets at the packed Bite of Seattle event around 6 p.m., the King County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office said on Monday, according to KOMO.<\/p>\n

The youngest victim of the shooting, a 2-year-old boy, remains hospitalized.<\/p>\n

Both Sanchez Villalba and Whitehead were innocent victims caught in the crossfire, while Semo was involved in the shooting, Mayor Katie Wilson confirmed on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Semo sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the chaos and was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n

Villalba died of a gunshot wound to his torso at the scene, and Whitehead died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to her pelvis, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

Whitehead was waiting in line for cotton candy while enjoying the festival with her daughter, Zoie, and her future son-in-law, Ben, when the gunfire broke out, according to a GoFundMe for her funeral services and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was shot and, despite surviving long enough to exchange heartfelt \u2018I love yous\u2019 with her eldest daughter, passed away during surgery at Harborview,\u201d the fundraiser\u2019s statement said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whitehead was a \u201clover of life, art, and family,\u201d and had recently moved from Alabama to the West Coast to be closer to Zoie, who tragically lost her partner of seven years to heart failure in 2018. The mother is also survived by her youngest daughter, Celeste.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Inside the terrifying new \u2018cult\u2019 led by LA-based \u2018apostle\u2019 as droves of devoted followers shake uncontrollably in her presence<\/a><\/p>\n

Villalba was described in a GoFundMe as a \u201cdevoted husband, loving father of three, and a loyal friend who would do anything for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis kindness and generosity touched countless lives, and everyone who knew him remembers his gentle spirit and willingness to help others,\u201d said the fundraiser meant to support his children who are now without their primary provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Four other people were injured, including a 2-year-old boy who remains hospitalized. Two men in their twenties as well as a 39-year-old woman were discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment, authorities said.<\/p>\n

A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with the senseless shooting, while cops said the whereabouts of a second suspect are still \u201cunknown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe believe this teenager opened fire in the crowd, but details are still under investigation,\u201d Wilson said at a press conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mayor said the unidentified teen is being investigated for firearms violations and first-degree assault.<\/p>\n

Read more NYC could get soaked by more than 4 inches of rain from \u2018unusually powerful\u2019 summer storm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19; Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44; and Ashley Whitehead, 56, were identifed as the three victims killed at the Bite of Seattle food festival Sunday night. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\n3 gunned down at packed Seattle food festival ID'd \u2014 as tot, 2, remains hospitalized - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5541\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 gunned down at packed Seattle food festival ID'd \u2014 as tot, 2, remains hospitalized - 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